This invention relates to an improved storage cabinet, such as for use in an office environment.
The modern office has become crowded and cluttered due to the ever-increasing amount of equipment utilized by an office worker, such as a computer and the like, and at the same time the need to work on, handle and store large numbers of documents continues to significantly contribute to the overall clutter and crowdedness of the office. Accordingly, there is a need for storage units which efficiently utilize the available space in an office area for storage and organization of documents, books and other work-related items.
Many types of storage units exist, such as cabinets which are mounted in an overhead position with respect to a worksurface, freestanding pedestal units and drawer-type filing cabinets. The instant invention generally relates to the latter type of cabinet which is typically incorporated into a workstation or work area. More specifically, the instant invention relates to a cabinet which includes a stationary and hollow housing and a drawer-type cart positioned within the interior of the housing. The cart is equipped to store documents and other items and is storable within the housing when not in use, and movable out of the housing when access to the items stored thereon is desired.
A storage cabinet of the above type manufactured by the assignee hereof includes a housing and a cart movable relative thereto through a pair of rollers or wheels mounted at the front lower corners of the cart, and a pair of rollers or wheels mounted at the rear lower corners of the cart. A pair of tracks similar to conventional drawer slides are mounted on opposite sides of the cart so as to guide the cart relative to the housing during opening of the cabinet. This design, however, resulted in undesirable twisting and binding of the tracks during movement of the cart relative to the housing. In another version of this type of cabinet also manufactured by the assignee, the guide tracks were eliminated and the cart provided with front and rear sets of wheels. However, this design resulted in misalignment problems since the cart was completely separable from the housing. Further, the amount of force required to open the cabinet was large, particularly when the cabinet was positioned on a carpeted floor.
It is thus an object of this invention to provide an improved storage cabinet, particularly for use in an office environment, which is believed to significantly improve upon prior cabinets of this general type, and particularly is believed to overcome the disadvantages mentioned above.
More specifically, the storage cabinet according to the invention incorporates therein a track or rail provided on the top of the stationary housing which cooperates with a roller mounted on an upper portion of the movable cart. The cart additionally includes a roller arrangement at the lower front thereof for engagement with a floor surface. Movement of the cart relative to the housing is therefore controlled and guided through the engagement of the upper roller of the cart within the housing rail and the lower front rollers, which arrangement defines a three-point support for the movable cart. This type of support allows the cart to rock or pivot sidewardly about the housing rail which eliminates or at least greatly reduces binding of the cart. Further, less force is required to close the cabinet since only one wheel arrangement is in contact with the floor.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with structures of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.